Smart Home Technology to Help Seniors


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Updated: September 26, 2019

smart home technology to help seniors

 

It’s an amazing time to be alive! Robots can vacuum our floors. We can listen to any song ever recorded from our cell phones. And technology has made it easier for us to age in place instead of having to move to expensive assisted living facilities.

Here are some home technology ideas you may want to utilize for yourself or your senior loved one.

Video Camera Systems

Some senior citizens find themselves in the difficult position of wanting to stay in their homes, while their family members want them to find alternative, safer living situations. If this describes the conflict occurring in your family, why not compromise and install a video camera system in your home?

There are a variety of systems on the marketplace, and some are pricier than others. To maintain some privacy, you can ask your family members to place the camera in a living room or kitchen.  Then agree to wear a medical alert pendant especially when you may need help in the bathroom or the bedroom.

You may find that you enjoy having the camera in your home. You can choose one with a two-way audio speakerphone and use it to video chat with your loved one periodically throughout the day.

Medical Alert System

Every senior citizen should have a medical alert system if he or she lives independently. Even if you have enjoyed good health most of your life, you never know when a slippery shower or a kitchen spill may cause you to fall.

Although some devices are activated at the push of a button, you may want to look for a device that has a fall detector. During emergencies, you may or may not be able to push a button to receive assistance. A fall detector will give you peace of mind that help is minutes away during an emergency.

Check out companies like Medical Guardian, Philip’s Lifeline, or others. Many systems can be subscribed to for around $30 a month and can add optional fall detection too.

GPS Location Services

If you are lucky enough to still drive periodically, make sure your loved ones can follow your travels. Again, you may feel as if your children are invading your privacy, but they are just trying to keep you safe and independent for as long as possible.

There are many different GPS tracking devices, including some that can be added as an app to your smartphone. Even though you may only drive to church and the grocery store, having a location service may keep your overly-concerned loved ones from contacting the police should you decide to go to an unexpected location during one of your outings.

Uber or Lyft

If driving makes you nervous, ask your grandchildren to show you how to use the Uber or Lyft apps on your smartphone. Drivers will appear at your front door within minutes of requesting a ride. Since your app is connected to your debit or credit card, you won’t have to worry about paying the stranger cash.

Although rideshare services receive bad press at times, millions of people use them safely each day across the country.

Robot Vacuums

Aren’t you sick of cleaning your house? Although many are waiting with bated breath for a robot that will clean a shower, we have to be content right now with having one that will vacuum our floors.

Robot vacuums aren’t perfect. They get stuck under pieces of furniture, and they don’t pick up every crumb and hair. But as we age, pushing around a heavy vacuum is difficult, and a robot vacuum will keep your home relatively clean without you having to lug around a heavy machine with a long electrical cord.

Perhaps you have never enjoyed technology throughout your younger life. As you age, it is time to embrace it. Technology may enable you to stay in your home longer than you could have otherwise. Talk with your kids and grandkids about your desire to age in place and be open-minded to how technology can help.

 

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